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Don't Be Like Bob

I have a friend. We will say my friend’s name is Bob. (Is that a gender-neutral name? For the sake of this discussion, let’s say it is.) Bob neglected to file Bob’s 2021 taxes before the deadline of Monday, April 18, 2022. Not a very good idea, Bob.

Bob then started practicing avoidance coping (denying, minimizing, or otherwise avoiding dealing directly with stressful demands) tactics and didn’t get Bob’s taxes filed until January 2023. Bob was worried about penalties and late fees. But,as it turns out, Bob needn’t have worried; his income for 2021 was so awful that he didn’t owe the IRS anything. In fact, they owed BOB money. A LOT of money! But Bob’s low AGI (adjusted gross income) isn’t the focus of my blog post today; the unnecessary worry that accompanied Bob’s neglect of his duty as a working citizen of this great country is.

Today I made an appointment with my tax professional to file for 2022. If you need to file, use a paid service or provider, and haven’t already scheduled your appointment I HIGHLY recommend you do so. It beats stressing about it unnecessarily for nine months.

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